


IKEA

by elisetales



Category: Starfighter (Comic)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Blow Jobs, Curtain Fic, Dirty Talk, Domestic, Dominance, Fluff, M/M, Post-War, Rimming, Romance, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Spanking, Starfighter Secret Santa 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-09 21:50:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12897564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elisetales/pseuds/elisetales
Summary: A shopping trip to buy curtains doesn't exactly go according to plan.





	IKEA

**Author's Note:**

  * For [momokonda](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=momokonda).



The fluorescent department store lighting stung Ethan's eyes. His temples throbbed ominously, warning of the migraine to come.

He'd been well and truly over this entire outing about a half hour ago but he'd been pestering Alexei to come along with him for weeks. Now that he was here, having finally agreed to accompany Ethan (but only under significant duress), Ethan would be damned if he was going home without those stupid curtains. 

Alexei's bored humming and vacant fidgeting with any item within reach wasn't helping the situation. His obvious disinterest and complete unwillingness to contribute anything was starting to seriously grate.

Ethan snapped without thinking. “Look, if you're not going to participate then maybe you should just go home.”

Alexei stopped to stare and raised an eyebrow. He leaned an elbow up against the display, thin red tank dragging up over one bare hip, and clicked his tongue. Ethan shifted uncomfortably and averted his gaze. He was beginning to regret the harsh choice of words, when:

“ _If you're not going to participate then maybe you should just go home_ ,” Alexei mimicked in a high-pitched, whining sort of voice. A voice that sounded nothing like Ethan's.

Ethan stared at him, dumbfounded. A white-hot rage bubbled up to the surface and he clenched and unclenched his fists, determined not to let it spill over into a full-fledged domestic disturbance in the aisles of IKEA. He refused to give Alexei the satisfaction.

“Are you being serious right now?” he asked Alexei instead, in a low but dangerous tone. “Really?"

Alexei shrugged and took a lazy sip from the can he was holding. One of those stupid energy drinks with a stupid, macho label. Ethan was always telling him they were bad for him – stuffed full of caffeine and preservatives and a thousand other terrible things – but he never listened.  
  
An elderly lady browsing the linens nearby tutted at them disapprovingly and shook her head. Ethan swallowed his dread. He knew Alexei , and knew he wouldn't be able to restrain himself from making a scene now, an even bigger one.   
  
Glaring at the older lady, Alexei took a large gulp from his soda can, smacked his lips and belched loudly and deliberately. It echoed in Ethan's ears.

The woman's jaw fell in disgust. She dropped her mustard-coloured sheet set back inside the bargain bin, shot them one final look of disgust and hobbled awkwardly way.

Ethan's head gave a large, painful throb. He rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. “I... I can't do this anymore. I can't do this with you. I'm sorry, I need to get out of here.”

Alexei chuckled at his own idea of a joke. “You can't do what? And fuckin' ay, let's go. Pick anything, who gives a shit – I dunno, these--” He snatched a random set of cream-coloured curtains with blue stripes from the nearest shelf – the wrong color for their apartment, wrong size, wrong everything – and thrust them at Ethan's chest. “Yeah? Done. Now come on, Ethan, let's get the fuck out of here and find somewhere to eat before I cark it. I'm starvin' over here.”

“No,” Ethan muttered.

He opened his eyes and winced at the bright lights. The world was turning hazy, everything spinning so fast he'd lose his balance if he didn't hold onto something soon. He gripped the shelf behind him and tried to focus on Alexei until the rest of it fell away and there was only him, his figure sharp as ice, a fuzzy halo of light behind his head.

Alexei – his comrade, his partner, an unlikely best friend. Alexei, who he'd grown closer to than anyone he'd ever known. He loved him but it wasn't working in the harsh light of day. Alexei had to know that, too. He had to know they were holding on for nothing but the past.

The stakes were too low. They couldn't make it work out here in the real world where there were simpler things to worry about than the next battle, and who would be at risk of sudden death next. Simpler things like laundry. And too much caffeine. And stupid curtains.

“Ethan?” Alexei tapped his elbow. “C'mon, babe, get your head outta your ass. Let's _go_.” He spun to leave but Ethan caught his shoulder.

“No,” he tried again. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Us, you. Me,” he admitted with a shaky laugh. “I can't do this anymore. I can't make you do it, either. It's not working.”

Alexei glared for a moment then narrowed his eyes. “Tch. You know, you do this every fucking time something doesn't go your way, Ethan. Precious princess doesn't get what he wants – doesn't get the right fucking _curtains_ \--” at this he flicked a box of black and white partitions-- “--and he busts out the dramatics, threatens to run away and leave, just like _Jules--_ ”

“Jules?” Ethan interrupted in disbelief, unable to help himself. He knew Alexei was only trying to get a rise out of him by comparing him to Jules – the most dramatic person they both knew – but it was working and Ethan was furious.

“You wanna leave me?” Alexei went on. “Then stop sayin' it and just fucking _do_ it.” Ethan flinched when Alexei suddenly launched his can across the store. It skidded across the floor, leaving puddles of bright green liquid all over the tiles. Several shoppers stared at them in disbelief. Someone was probably off running to alert store security already.

So much for avoiding a domestic disturbance in the aisles of IKEA.

Ethan stood still, frozen as he watched Alexei walk away. He could hear Alexei muttering things like “fuck you” and “drama queen” under his breath until there was nothing but quiet and Ethan was left standing alone under the disapproving glares of everyone in the immediate vicinity.

He hugged the wrong box of curtains tight to his chest and hurried towards the nearest exit.

* * *

Alexei was waiting for him in the parking lot when he stepped outside. There was an angry stiffness to his posture as he puffed furiously on a hand-rolled cigarette, waiting for Ethan to approach. Ethan shuffled towards him uncertainly.

“Where are the curtains?”

Ethan shrugged, empty-handed. “They were the wrong ones. Besides, I had to get out before security escorted me out. They were all staring at me so I doubt I had time to make a purchase.”

“Tch.” Alexei dropped his cigarette to the pavement and snuffed it out with a stomp of his boot. “You know, you're not the only one who's sick of this.”

“I know.”

“We can't stop fighting. All the time, over stupid shit. It's _bullshit_.”

Ethan nodded. “I know that. I'm sorry.”

Alexei snorted a laugh. “You're sorry? Stop apologizing all the time, it's fucking annoying.”

“Sorry.” Alexei glared and Ethan pressed his lips together. He was sure anything else he said now would only further propel the argument at this point.

Alexei stuffed his hands inside the pockets of his black jeans. He braced himself against the chilly wind – back at the apartment Ethan had begged him to put on something other than that flimsy red tank, but Alexei always insisted he ran hot – and stared past Ethan's head.

“It's me.” Ethan watched as Alexei pressed his fingernails into the back of his hand. “It's me, I can't get it right, I can't get _this_ right. Me and you, you and me. I'm always the dumbfuck messing everything up and you--” –he looked at Ethan now-- “--you can't forgive me. You still haven't, so everything I do makes you wanna stab me with a fork, right?”

Ethan opened his mouth to offer a weak protest but Alexei silenced him with a look. It was just as well because it turned out Ethan hadn't much to offer to any of this. He'd rarely witnessed Alexei so self-aware and it hurt. Hurt having to acknowledge that any of it was true when he'd been trying desperately for the past few months to _not_ acknowledge it. Acknowledging it meant they were over. The whole thing was over. A closed book.

“The way I see it, we got two options.”

Ethan folded his arms and said, “Oh? And they are?”

"You get over it – forgive me, punch me in the face a few times if that's what you need to get past this – or we walk. End this, right now.”

“In the parking lot of IKEA?”

Alexei shrugged. “Why not. I'm done pretending you're mad at me because I don't give a fuck about the potplant, or because I nag you to pick your damn clothes and wet towels up off the floor, or because I don't give a shit about _curtains_. It's not about any of that. You're still mad.”

He didn't need to elaborate any further. They both knew what he was talking about.

Ethan sighed and looked down at his feet. The wind scattered brown and gold leaves around his feet. He watched them rattle away like dry bones and let out a heavy breath.

“Maybe there's a third option. Come on.” Without pausing to think another second, Ethan grabbed Alexei 's hand tight and steered him past the bright lights and around the side of the building where it was dark, quiet and most importantly, deserted.

He pushed Alexei up against the side of the building, knotted his fingers in his shirt and yanked him down for a kiss.

It was warm, rough and bruising. Alexei's fingers twisted in his hair, fell to the small of his back and pulled Ethan flush against his body. His stubble scraped the side of his cheek when he bent to kiss Ethan's neck, warm lips lingering over the soft skin of his throat before sucking hard enough to make Ethan yelp.

Ethan licked his lips and tried to savour the moment. Alexei tasted like an ashtray with that underlying sweet, chemical taste leftover from that horrible energy drink he liked so much. Ethan was used to it, maybe even kind of liked it. He wondered if he'd miss it when Alexei was gone.

When they broke apart, Alexei was flushed and breathing hard. “This is kinky,” he observed, glancing around the empty alleyway. Ethan thought it sounded like he approved.

Of course he did. This was exactly Alexei 's brand of Good Time.

“You wanna fuck?” Alexei breathed in his ear, voice low with lust. Ethan answered that by unbuckling Alexei's belt and yanking down his zipper.

“Shit.” Alexei hissed and closed his eyes as Ethan started pumping his cock with one spit-slick hand. Their foreheads pressed together, and there was a flick of a tongue against Ethan's lips, licking gently when Ethan gave in and parted them.

They kissed until Ethan couldn't feel his own mouth, started to lose himself to the pressure of Alexei's lips and the bucking of his hips, until Alexei began to shudder and grunt and Ethan knew he was just seconds away from losing it and shooting his load all over Ethan's hand.

Ethan could always undo him, just like this, but that's not what he wanted now.

It needed to be more.

Alexei growled when Ethan loosened his tight grip around his cock. “What the fuck, Ethan?”

“Wait.” Ethan touched Alexei's cheek to calm him, wound his fingers through Alexei's messy hair and looked at him, really looked. Alexei's eyes fluttered closed and Ethan's stomach gave a painful lurch. It reminded him of who Alexei really was – it never took much for Ethan to soothe him, to smooth over all those sharp, rough edges until it was like they'd never even been there in the first place.

Alexei liked to pretend he didn't want it, didn't need affection, but he was as prone to it as a homeless kitten.

The moment passed and Alexei nuzzled Ethan's cheek, pressing his lips along Ethan's jaw. “You want my cock... Here? Fuck, let's do this--”

But before Alexei could whip him around and press his cock to Ethan's ass, Ethan placed his hands flat against Alexei 's chest, stared intently at him, and dropped to his knees. Alexei swallowed hard.

“You're gonna get on your knees and blow me and I don't even have to bribe you. What's got into you?”

“Nothing. Yet,” Ethan joked.

Alexei let out a short laugh that turned quickly into a growl as Ethan firmly gripped the base of his cock and teased him, mouthing the head before gently tonguing the wet slit. He wanted to touch himself badly, could feel the inside of his pants starting to get wet, but it could wait. What he wanted more was to give Alexei something good, something he wanted, something just like this.

He knew Alexei loved it when Ethan sucked his cock. Ethan wasn't the biggest fan – mostly because Alexei was prone to getting a little too excited and rough, trying to force Ethan's head down onto his cock so that it felt like he was choking on it. But he loved how into it _Alexei_ got, loved the taste of Alexei s precome on his tongue, leaking out freely the more excited he got.

“Fuck, _Ethan_ ,” Alexei breathed as Ethan took as much of him in as he could, his lips stretching far beyond the point of comfort. He wasn't good at this but Alexei seemed to love it, relish in it, when Ethan coughed, or gagged. The flash of lust in his eyes made Ethan even harder and he tried to take in more, really give it to him, until he felt the head of Alexei's cock bump the back of his throat and he couldn't take it, needed to breathe.

“Fuck,” Alexei groaned, really dragging out the 'u' in 'fuck'. “I love watching you choke on my dick. You look so fucking pretty like this, mouth all full of it. Talk to me, baby. Tell me what you want.”

Ethan released him with a cough and tried to catch his breath, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. Alexei stared at him with a mixture of dark lust and affection, rubbing his thumb along Ethan's bruised lips, wet and red and puffy from sucking cock.

“I've missed this,” Alexei said before Ethan could answer. It was one of the most vulnerable things Ethan had ever heard him say.

It occurred to him then that he was right – it had been a while since they'd done this, anything like this. Alexei wanted to fuck all the time, multiple times a day, but Ethan was tired – tired from his new job, tired of bad memories and bad dreams. Tired of fighting with Alexei.

He'd been making up excuses more often than not; it had never occurred to him how Alexei might feel about all that. If Ethan had been neglecting his needs – not just for sex, but for love. For affection. Ethan knew Alexei needed that from him – was desperate for it, even. Even if Alexei didn't.

“I've missed it too,” Ethan admitted, wiping his mouth. Alexei smirked at the hoarse sound of his voice.

“Tell me what you want,” Alexei demanded, again.

Ethan was quiet. He nuzzled Alexei 's hip, rubbed his cheek along the shaft of Alexei 's cock. He could feel the wet smear of pre-come along his jaw.

“Come on, baby. Tell me how you want this.”

“I want you,” Ethan confessed. “I want your cock.”

“Yeah, I've noticed.” Ethan loved how smug Alexei sounded, like the old him, like none of the insecurities Ethan knew he'd fostered in him lately had ever taken root.

He wanted him to feel wanted. He knew the last thing Alexei had been feeling lately was wanted.

“I want you to hold me down and fuck me like you mean it. I want to feel your cock in me, hard and fast. I want you to touch me, make me come. I want to feel you come inside me. I need it.”

A look passed over Alexei 's face, something that looked like anger but was more like lust. In a moment Alexei was there beside him, on his knees, yanking Ethan's pants down around his thighs, forcing him onto his hands and knees.

“Head down,” he ordered, and Ethan obliged, legs shaking so badly he wasn't sure they could even hold him up.

It was true, all of it. He needed to feel Alexei inside him, was wet and leaking with the anticipation. He curled a hand around his hard cock and started to stroke it, feeling much-needed relief wash over him until Alexei slapped his hand away.

“Not yet.”

Ethan whined but stopped touching himself. He liked when Alexei got like this with him, all rough and aggressive and demanding and _hot_.

The concrete was cold against his temple. He was no longer terrified, could no longer care if someone stumbled across them, even at this late hour, because it was too late to worry. They were doing this and Ethan knew it wouldn't take long anyway, for either of them. Alexei had been ready to blow since the handjob, and Ethan suspected all it would take was for Alexei to hit the right spot inside him and he'd be a goner in seconds.

He raised his hips as far as they could go, fully exposing himself, and cried out when Alexei growled and pulled his cheeks apart, roughly dipping his thumb in and out of Ethan's hole, his breath coming hard and fast. Ethan flushed red with pleasure and shame when he felt Alexei's tongue circling his hole, wet and hot, licking and sucking and pressing its way inside a few times before it was quickly replaced by the hard, blunt head of Alexei's cock.

“Come on,” Ethan whined, pushing back against it, begging for it. “Do it. I want you inside me. I need to feel you.”

Alexei let out a hiss and spanked Ethan's ass, hard, gripping and squeezing the cheek so firmly Ethan knew it would leave an angry red mark, maybe even a bruise.

“Tell me how badly you want me,” Alexei growled. “Say it.”

“I want you,” Ethan told him, breathless. “I want you so bad. No one else.”

Alexei swore and rammed his spit-slick cock all the way inside. Ethan cried out with shock and balled his hands into fists. It only stung for a moment, and Ethan kind of even liked it when it hurt a little. He wanted to feel it, to know that he belonged to Alexei– to be made _his –_ and he wanted to feel it burn, later, when he remembered it all.

"You're mine." Alexei pressed Ethan's face to the ground, firm but not hard enough to hurt him, and held one of his hips steady as he fucked into him, hard and fast, just like Ethan had asked of him.

“Alexei ...”

“I love it when you say my name while I'm in you,” Alexei breathed, twisting his fingers into the fine hair at the nape of Ethan's neck. Ethan said it again, and Alexei let out a grunt, paused before he kept going, fucking into him with short, sharp thrusts. Ethan knew him too well, knew he was struggling not to come already.

“Touch me,” Ethan begged. “Please.”

He let out a sigh of relief when Alexei's hand left his hip and rough, calloused fingers found his cock, gripped and pumped it, fast and firm. Alexei's thumb rubbed over the dripping head and Ethan let out a cry as his body began to shake.

“That's right, I want you to come,” Alexei told him in a low voice. “Come for me. Come while you're on my cock.”

Ethan couldn't pull himself back from the brink any longer. With a shudder he came, shooting hot and fast all over Alexei 's hand. He felt himself tighten around Alexei 's cock as his body spasmed, and he knew Alexei could feel it too by the strangled noises he made.

“Fuck.” Alexei's fingers dug into Ethan's hips, hard enough to leave dark bruises. “You're so tight,” he gritted, before he gripped Ethan tighter and came with a long groan.

Ethan felt Alexei spilling inside him and it filled him with a unique kind of pleasure; he felt like he was floating – everything that had mattered before fell away and things made sense again. Alexei had left his mark on him again – made Ethan feel like he belonged to him – and he knew that's what they'd been missing.

Alexei 's come trickled down between Ethan's legs when he pulled away, hot and sticky.

“Damn.”

“Yeah,” Ethan agreed. He wanted to close his eyes, sleep, sink into the earth. But he hadn't forgotten where they were and neither, apparently, had Alexei .

“Come on, babe, get up. I think I hear something.” Alexei slapped his ass again, gentle and not rough like before, just to encourage him to get on moving.

“Okay, okay.” He got up, slowly, weak at the knees, and Alexei helped him get himself in order, dressed, even half-presentable.

“I'm disgusting. I need a shower. Now,” Ethan complained, stumbling, still fuck-drunk as they walked towards the lights.

“It's just come,” Alexei replied. He slung his arms around Ethan's shoulders as they made their way to their car, already lighting a cigarette.

Ethan shot him a look and Alexei snickered, digging the car keys out of his pocket and clicking the unlock button. Ethan dragged himself around to the passenger side, pulled open the door and collapsed into his seat.

“So what now?” Alexei asked. He rolled down the window and exhaled smoke outside into the air.

“What do you mean?”

“You were gonna break up with me, right? That's what all--” He gestured outside-- “ _that_ was just now. The desperate fucking. All the ' _Oh, Alexei, I want you. I want to suck your cock. Fuck me. I_ _ **need**_ _you_ '. Right? You haven't been like that in ages. You haven't been that horny in ages.”

Ethan flushed and looked down at his lap. He shrugged.

“Did you even mean any of that?”

Ethan shot him a glare. “Yeah, I meant it! And can you stop doing that? I don't sound like that.”

He couldn't read the look on Alexei's face.

“Alright. Kind of looked like a goodbye fuck to me, that's all.”

“Alexei—”

“It's fine. You don't have to say anything. Let's just forget about it.” Alexei flicked his cigarette out the window and turned the key in the ignition. Before he could put the car into reverse and release the handbrake, Ethan put a hand on his arm.

“Wait, wait, wait.”

Alexei stared ahead and turned the car off.

“You were right.”

The muscles in Alexei's jaw worked. Ethan knew he was working hard to seem unaffected but that he was hurt, and Ethan was full of guilt.

“Maybe I _was_ thinking about it. Back there. Before, when I was mad. But you were right. I need to let go of all that or we're never going to get past it. I can't stay mad at you forever. I don't want to. Here.” He took Alexei s hand and held it close to him, interlocking their fingers.

Alexei let his head fall back against the headrest. He visibly relaxed as Ethan rubbed his knuckles. “You wanna go back in, get those stupid curtains?”

“It's fine. It's late. We'll come back tomorrow.”

“I will,” Alexei promised. “I know the ones you were looking at. I'll get 'em. They'll do.”

“Yeah. They will.” Ethan smiled and Alexei almost-smiled back at him, squeezing Ethan's hand.

He knew in that moment, curtains aside, that everything was going to be alright between them.

 


End file.
